Monday, March 31, 2008

David Buist over at Cartoonme.net sent me this awesome pic of Chimpy at what I can only assume is amateur night at the Laugh Factory! Check out the drawing and then head over to his website and give it a looksee!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Talking animal gag humor has always had its ups and downs. While a comic like Zoology does a great job of finding all kinds of funny in the everyday workings of a zoo(hence the name), a comic like Garfield finds all kinds of boring in the setting of his owners house. I guess what I'm saying is just like Forrest Gump once said, you never know what you're gonna get. So how does today's comic stand up to my intense scrutiny? Let's find out...

Fuzznuts, written by Zack G., with art by Chris W., explores the mostly ignored theme of loneliness and isolation in todays post modern park setting. Or the crazy antics of a couple of squirrels named Fuzz and Nuts. I'm not too sure. Anyway, Fuzznuts is updated Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with around 22 comics in the archives as of this writing.

As far as the art is concerned, it's pretty much perfect for this style of comic. Two squirrels standing in front of a green and blue backdrop with the occasional tree to liven things up a bit. You don't want it to be too cluttered, because the focus should be on the jokes, so minimal yet enjoyable art is a good thing, at least for this comic. Character designs are cutesy with an edge, and Chris W. certainly has a good handle on his style, which avoids the cliched anime and Penny Arcade copycats out there. The coloring is simple and compliments the artwork with subdued tones that don't wear on the ole eyeballs. Simply put, me likey!

In any gag strip such as this there are always hits and miss jokes, and Fuzznuts isn't an exception to the rule. There's the funny, and then there's the filler comic seemingly only put up to adhere to the schedule. You'll never find a comic that hits the mark one hundred percent of the time, so I won't hold it against our squirrel friends. Zack G. does a good job of working within the three panel format, ending with a joke in the last panel that usually turns a frown upside down. I have to say though that I would like to see a little more variety in the situations that Fuzz and Nuts are put into, but squirrels can only get into so much trouble, can't they? Only 20 something comics in leaves plenty of time and room for these little guys to grow, and for Zack's best work to shine through.

I enjoyed the squirrely antics on display in Fuzznuts, and will be checking back in to see how it progresses from here. You might want to try it out for a smile or three, as I found it to be simple yet effective fun. While I didn't find it to be a full meal, it's lighthearted appeal is meant to digest easily. Check it out. I give this comic...(Fuzznuts is PG-13 with occasional mild swearing and violence)

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Would you like to share any of your sketchy art pages? If so, email me at uncaringmachine@aol.com and I'll post it up with a link to your comic, or if you don't have a comic, I'll post it anyway! We all love to see what's going on in those creative minds!

Yes, I felt the burnout that oft comes with running a webcomic. But I'm feeling the need to get back into things lately, and with that comes updates on all of my sites, including Off Kilter Comics! So now, once again, every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday you can check out a brand spankin new ridiculous comic which may or may not split your side with laughter. Enjoy!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Hey everyone, just stopping by to see if I can get you to put your drawing muscles to the test and sketch up some cool Chimpy art. Chimpy doing the dishes, Chimpy doing kungfu, Chimpy sleeping, Chimpy picking fleas, whatever! Anyone that sends me art at uncaringmachine@aol.com will get a plug of their comic, and if you don't have a comic, then you still get your art showcased on the site. So whip out your pens and paper or Wacom tablet and get crackin!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Pop Culture is a funny thing. I especially liked that series on VH1, "The World Series of Pop Culture". I loved putting my pointless knowledge of geek trivia to good use. Off The Grid, a comic still in its infancy by Ed Booth, goes the oft traveled road of making fun of movies, music, comics, etc. Does it do the genre justice, or do we have another dud on our hands? Read on...

I liked the art, that is to say, I liked it the first time, when it was called Penny Arcade. Ahem. Just kidding. What I meant was that it's eerily similar to Arcade, as in looks just like it. I'm not one to complain about good art, because it is very good colorful, mess free art, but cmon. I'm seeing a lot of this art style these days, and it's hard not to compare it to the comic that probably started it all. Good art, but seen it all too often.

With these types of comics usually being gag a day, the writing has to be pretty darn good. Well, that's where we hit a lil snag. I didn't find most of the jokes to be that funny. I get em, but didn't laugh at em. Nic Cage wants to quit acting, and you want em to too. Okay. But where's the joke? A few hit the mark, as in the Tony The Tiger peddling Viagra or The Dukes giving up without a chase, but aside from these there wasn't much in the way of comic genius. I guess I'm just feeling a bit of deja vu with the jokes. The main characters also haven't developed real personalities yet, and that's something I want to see. You can't relate with characters who, well, aren't relatable. The newest update was the best to me, so I still hold out hope that the comic will find it's footing and start hitting the mark more often. Good so far, but lacking originality.

If you like Penny Arcade(sorry, but it's the best comparison)and other pop culture comics in the same vein, Off The Grid will hold you over in between updates. Give it a once over if you've been dying to see what it would look like if E.T. was crossed with a Gremlin, but until it finds its own identity, I think people will stick with the real deal.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Thanks to those who still stop by and check out the site. I'm just here to let you know we aren't gone by any means, just been really busy with work and trying to find a new home. New reviews and interviews will be up soon though, I promise. Thanks again!

Sidekicks, who needs em?

Welcome to The Webcomic Asylum!

Hello, Jack here. I just wanted to welcome all readers to my little review site. Here you'll find my opinions on webcomics, big and small. I'm no professional by any means, just a small time reader and fellow comic enthusiast. I hope you enjoy the reviews, interviews, and news I offer here at my humble little corner of the webcomic universe. Take care, and feel free to check back often. Also, don't hesitate to email me with any requests, critiques, or friendly chatter that you may have. Later!-Jack

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Ranking System!

The Old ranking system, which I called the Chimp System, went as follows:

It was based on 12 Chimps. The more Chimps you got, obviously the better I liked your comic! Get it? Okay. So,you got That means your comic is average, in my opinion. 12 Chimps means it's perfect, 7 above average and so on.....

So, I hope you enjoyed the amusing old ratings system.

Now, the NEW ratings system is on a TEN chimp scale, which makes much more sense if you think about it. Five is average, ten is perfect, and you know the rest. I'm not going to go back and rerate all 50 of the past reviews, so for the older reviews just use the old ratings system up top, and for the new reviews starting from Calamities of Nature, just use the new ratings system. That is all.